Safety Technology
Regulations

Mandatory CE-marking has been in effect since
the start of 1995 in compliance with the Machinery
Directive 89/392/EEC. It defines the fundamental
demands regarding the safety of machinery and the
health considerations for the operator and user.

The consolidated standard is now available under the
designation 98/37/EC.

What is
a "machine"?

"A
machine for
the purpose
of this
directive is
an assembly
of linked
parts or
components,
at least one
of which
moves".
(Quote from
the
Machinery
Directive)

It also
includes appropriate actuators, control and power
circuits which are interconnected for a specific
purpose. (For example, for processing, treatment,
moving or packaging of a material).

The
directive includes the following as "Machines" in
its scope:

Industrial machines

Stacker cranes

Fork lifts.

As the
Machinery Directive only covers fundamental demands
and there are many different types of machines in
existence, the following must be asked: "How can I
provide verification that my machine is safe?" In
the European standards (EN standards) concrete
demands can be tested and verification provided in
this respect.

Safety Technology
Standards

Compliance to the Machinery Directive is a MUST
in the European Economic Area (EEA). The use of the
standards is not mandatory but has a decisive
advantage: If standards are used which are published
in the Official Journal of the European Communities
for compliance to the Machinery Directive or
compliance to national standards derived from the
directive, an automatic presumption of conformity is
assumed.

If an accident in the workplace with personal
injuries occurs, it is assumed that the operator or
machine manufacturer has fulfilled all machine
safety-related demands. This can be of immense
significance when attempting to clarify who is at
fault.

Use of the
European standards (EN standards) is imperative in
order to implement the Machinery Directive.

The EN
standards "Safety for machines" are subdivided into
three main groups:

Type A:
General design principles
Defines demands which can be applied to all machine
types: Fundamental safety demands.

Type B:
Group standardsThese are "group standards". They deal with
construction related aspects (type B1) such as
minimum clearances, surface temperatures or
functional aspects (type B2) such as Emergency-Stop
or two-hand circuit.
They can be applied for various machine groups.

Type C:
Product standardsDescribed as "Product standards" which involve
the demands of the individual machine types. The C
standard can be used to test and verify the machine
safety.

The safety requirements of the machinery
directive and the EN standards vary widely and
depend on the corresponding accident risk. In most
of the C standards the concrete risks involved for
the machine type are usually considered. The safety
requirements which apply are predefined at the
correspondingly high or low level.

In particular if no relevant C standard exists, the
machine constructer must estimate the level of
hazard or risk involved with a risk assessment and
implement, test and document suitable measures for
reduction of the risk involved.